Chapter Five.
Nicole.
Ollie shook me awake when he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. "Your turn for watch duty...no sign of anyone so far." He said lowly and curled up against his rucksack, closing his eyes.
Soon enough his breathing slowed and his facial muscles relaxed slightly, only leaving a ghost of a scowl on his features, his eyebrows only lowered a tiny amount. It wasn't a smile, but it was a start.
Meanwhile, Theo was snoring softly, his mouth resting open a tiny bit to let air into his system, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
My eyes scanned the face of the boy. The light brown hair, the pale skin, the tiny scar on his forehead. I couldn't help but remember that miserable look in his eyes when Ollie called me his girlfriend. It was obvious that he was missing a girl back home.
I looked over at Ollie as he grumbled in his sleep. Again, I found myself staring right at him. His dirty blonde hair had fallen flat on his head from being rubbed against his rucksack and he had a red mark on his cheek where the zip on the bag had pressed against his skin. I noticed a small stud in his ear that I hadn't seen earlier when we had first woken up.
He mumbled again and shifted positions, getting more comfortable. His plain shirt rode up slightly and I caught a glimpse of his abs again. He didn't seem like he enjoyed sports or doing any exercise and my mind began to wonder how he'd defined them so well with no effort at all.
He was an idiot. I'd worked that out so far. Or maybe he was just misunderstood? Either way, that gave him no excuse to speak like that to me or Theo. But he just had that tiny glimmer at the back of his eyes that showed that he wasn't completely inhuman. If he got to know us well enough I was sure he would begin to open up.
My long chat with Theo had really lightened the mood. He had a great sense of humour and, unlike Ollie, seemed like a genuinely nice guy. He told me about his mum and his dogs and his job in a café. Telling him about my life helped me a lot, making me more motivated to get home.
Naturally, the night had that certain chill to it that wasn't uncomfortable but just noticeable, prodding at my uncovered skin and reminding me it wasn't as hot as during the day.
Despite everything, I wasn't as tired as I had expected to be. Sure, I fell asleep when I had the chance but that was just incase anything happened tomorrow that I would need energy for. And I definitely didn't want to lag behind and endure the wrath of Ollie.
Gazing at the stars made me homesick. My father and I used to take a long drive out into the country to watch them sometimes. Moments like those are the ones that stick with you for a lifetime despite being unimportant and irrelevant to anything.
It must've been around two in the morning when the boys began to stir. Theo rolled over onto his side but then went still, curling up tightly.
Ollie, however, clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth, tossing his head as if having a bad dream. He began to mutter loudly and twitch nightmarishly.
I crawled over and knelt beside him. "Ollie! Oliver! Wake up!" I said loudly, right beside his ear.
Theo woke up and rubbed his eyes. "What's happening?" He asked, yawning widely.
I pointed down at Ollie and touched his arm, instantly recoiling and yelping as his skin scorched mine. "I think he's got a fever..." I rubbed the pain away from my hand. As I looked down I saw a red blister forming on my palm where I had touched him, the skin raw and stinging.
"But he was fine today." Theo walked over and knelt down beside me, holding his hand close to Ollie's skin but not making the contact. "OLLIE! Wake up!" He yelled.
I rummaged around in my rucksack as Theo tried to wake him. Frowning, I pulled out a water bottle, sprinkling some into the palm of my hand to treat the burn. It wasn't too cold but it would do for now.
"Pour some on his forehead. It might wake him up." Theo commented, watching Ollie thrash around uncomfortably.
I held the bottle over his creased face as he tilted his head back again, gritting his teeth. I tipped it up and the water splashed down onto his skin. There was a fizzing sound like when you put chips in a fryer and a cloud of steam raised up off of his skin, filling the air.
"Jesus Christ!" Theo cried and stumbled back, tripping and falling onto his butt.
I stepped back quickly and helped him up, watching Ollie. "Theo? What's happening?" I asked. Worry filled my head. Surely he could feel the heat? Surely he should have woken up by now?
"I have no idea..." His voice shook, obviously shocked by what had just happened. "Is he dead? He looks dead!" He glanced at me, wide eyed and terrified.
"I don't think so...he's still moving." I commented and winced as I heard his shouting out. "We have to help him Theo...we can't just let him suffer like this."
As he took a step forwards, the air around us seemed to go cold but even from five metres away we could feel the heat radiating off of Ollie's scorching hot skin. Ollie gasped and fell still, his head lolling onto his shoulder. Just as Theo had said, he looked dead.
A few seconds passed before he sprang into life. His body went rigid and he kicked out sharply.
And then something even weirder happened.
His hands erupted into flames. I don't mean like harmless household candles, I mean like white hot death machines that can burn through solid brick walls and metals.
"Ollie!" I screamed and tried to run forwards to help him but Theo held me back, pulling with all of his might. "Ollie!" Tears pricked my eyes. I hardly knew him but it was painful to watch this happen.
His eyes snapped open suddenly, glowing bright red just for one second before changing back to normal.
I broke free from Theo's hold and sprinted forwards but I was cut off by a wall of fire sprouting out of the ground around him, as if it was protecting his body.
Looking down at his hands, Ollie began to shout out in fear, rubbing them on the floor to try and quench the flames but to no avail. He waved them around in the air, making fantastic shapes, but still not getting rid of the fire.
Eventually, like the flick of a switch, the flames shut off. Wobbling on his feet, Ollie took a deep breath and coughed to clear his throat, looking down at his palms again. "No burns..." He muttered and looked up at us. "No burns..."
I stepped forwards cautiously and looked at his hands without touching them. Sure enough, there were no burns, scalds or scorches. Just normal hands. My hand reached out hesitantly to touch the skin on his forehead but it was cool and damp from sweating. "Ollie? What happened?" I asked him, staring at his hands again.
"I'll take the next watch." He said determinedly.
"But I've not been on lookout yet!" Theo protested, also gazing at his hands.
"I'll take the next watch..." He muttered again. His lips barely moved, his eyes were aimed up at the sky to look for answers.
Grabbing his arm, I tried to shake a bit of sense into him. "Ollie, you should sleep! You've just had a shock, it could be ba-"
"I'll take the next watch." He said in finality. "Go to sleep Nicole." His eyes averted to Theo. "Go to sleep Murray..."
The whole experience had shaken all of us. Ollie's scowl had disappeared, leaving his features completely blank. He kept flicking his knife nervously, biting his nails on his free hand. Theo was sat upright, watching him in fear of it happening again. I, however, was fretting in my head, playing with a strand of my hair and trying to act casual.
"Are you going to sleep or not?" Ollie broke the silence after a long while.
"No." Theo and I both replied simultaneously.
"Well, I'm going for a walk then..." He muttered, his face still blank.
Without the constant scowl he looked a lot younger: more boyish, more innocent, more...misunderstood. There's that word again.
Misunderstood.
"No, just stay. We need to keep an eye on you." I told him sternly, watching him.
He flicked his knife closed and placed it back in his pocket gingerly, still biting his nails. He leant back against a gnarled tree trunk and sighed deeply.
"Catch some Zs..." Theo advised, flashing a small smile. "I'll watch for the rest of the night."
Ollie nodded at him and his eyes softened the tiniest amount. "Thank you..." He croaked and closed his eyes.
When I was sure he was asleep, I crept over and covered him with a blanket, laying him down on the floor softly so he didn't fall during the night.
What he did next made my day: he smiled.
Yes, you heard me, Oliver Chase smiled. Even if it was in his sleep, it was an achievement.
************************************
*gasp* But Ollie never smiles!
Vote/Comment/Fan if you're liking it!
Thanks :)